Are you an adult who is missing one or more permanent teeth? If so, you may have heard about dental implants and wondered whether or not this might be the best strategy for treating your tooth loss. Our Orange, CA, periodontist Dr. Ramyar Elyassian can help you get your oral health back on track after tooth loss with the help of dental implants. Here’s how:

Replace One, Several, or All of Your Teeth

No matter the extent of your tooth loss, if you are in good health then you might benefit from getting dental implants. While a single implant is designed to replace just one tooth, several implants can also be placed along the arches of the jawbone to support false teeth. So no matter if you are missing one or all of your teeth, dental implants could help restore your smile.

Protect Your Jawbone

The jawbone is also greatly impacted by tooth loss. Over time, the jawbone will begin to deteriorate because it isn’t getting the proper stimulation that it needs now that one or more tooth roots are missing. As a result of this deterioration your facial structure will also change, causing the cheeks to cave in and skin to sag and wrinkle prematurely.

The only way to truly prevent bone loss is for our Orange, CA, restorative dentist to place a dental implant into the jawbone. The implant acts like tooth roots, providing the appropriate amount of stimulation to maintain and preserve the jawbone for life.

There are several reasons why dental implants are so popular. Perhaps the most important, though, is their longevity: if maintained properly implants can last for decades. However, they’re not indestructible—certain mouth conditions could put them at risk for early failure. But if you address emerging problems early, you may be able to prevent that unfortunate outcome.

Your implants may be in danger, for example, if you have a teeth grinding or clenching habit. This occurs when a person involuntarily and repeatedly bites down on their teeth when not chewing or speaking. Usually triggered in adults by high stress, teeth grinding can subject both natural teeth and implants to damaging levels of force. Over time this can cause bone loss around an implant and weaken their support. It could also cause a direct break in an implant.

But there are ways to stop or at least reduce the effects of teeth grinding. One effective way is a custom-made bite guard you wear while you sleep. Made of hard plastic, the guard prevents the teeth from making solid contact with each other, reducing the amount of force generated.

A more prominent problem is periodontal (gum) disease, a bacterial infection caused by built-up dental plaque on tooth surfaces. This can trigger inflammation, a normal defensive response that when it persists for an extended period of time can damage tissues and supporting bone. It can also cause a specific form of gum disease related to implants called peri-implantitis, in which the tissues that support an implant become infected and weaken, leading eventually to possible implant failure.

If you have implants, then, you should brush and floss daily to prevent gum disease, as well as see your dentist at least every six months for cleanings and checkups. And if you notice anything like reddened, swollen or bleeding gums, see your dentist immediately. The sooner you undergo treatment, the better the outcome for your implants as well as your overall health.

Dental implants can give you years of great service and can prove to be well worth the cost. But you’ll have to stay on your guard against gum disease and other mouth conditions that could endanger them down the road.

If you’re thinking about getting dental implants, you’re in good company. Dentists have placed more than 3 million of these popular devices since their introduction in the early 1980s.

But if you have multiple missing teeth, you might think the cost of all those individual implants could put them out of your league. Yes, replacing multiple teeth with individual implants can be quite expensive—but implant technology isn’t limited to one tooth at a time. A few well-placed implants can impart their proven durability and stability to other types of restorations.

For example, we can incorporate implants into a bridge for a series of missing teeth. Conventional bridges are normally fixed in place by altering and then crowning natural teeth on each side of the missing teeth gap with a fixed row of prosthetic (false) teeth in the middle to fill it. Instead, two implants placed at the ends of the gap can support the bridge rather than natural teeth. This not only provides greater stability for the bridge, it also avoids permanent altering the natural teeth that would have been used.

Implants can also support a fixed bridge to restore complete tooth loss on a jaw. The new bridge is attached to a few strategically placed implants along the jaw line to equally distribute biting forces. This can result in a strong hold with excellent durability.

We can also use implants to improve traditional dentures. Dentures normally rest directly on the gums’ bony ridges, depending on a snug fit for stability. But bone loss, a natural consequence of missing teeth, can still occur while wearing dentures, which may in fact accelerate the rate of loss due to the appliance’s constant pressure and friction against the gums.

Instead, just a few implants placed along the jaw can, with attachments built into the denture, hold it securely in place. This not only decreases the pressure on the gums, but the natural bone growth that occurs around the implant may even deter bone loss.

Depending on your situation, there could be a viable restoration solution involving implants. Visit our office for a complete examination and evaluation to see if implants could help change your smile forever.

You don't have to deal with the uncomfortable movement of regular dentures

Implants stabilize dentures, ensuring they don't move while you speak, eat, or chew

They don't slip and cause discomfort

They create a normal bite so can you eat without restriction

You don't have to worry about ill-fitting dentures or denture adhesives

What Does the Procedure Consist Of?

Metal posts are surgically implanted in a series into your jaw.

Osseointegration will occur over three to six months (this is a process where bone and tissue surrounding the implants will fuse to posts). This action creates a sturdy and unmoving foundation from which to hold your dentures.

Patient are fitted with temporary teeth.

After six months, your doctor will attach abutments to the implants that'll be attached to artificial teeth.

The full dentures are attached to the abutments.

After the procedure is over, patients will be able to resume normal daily activities, such as eating, chewing and speaking. You'll also have the added benefit of a great smile and stable dentures that don't slip, as mentioned above.

Need a Consultation?

The process of getting implant dentures may be long, but it is worth the time, money, and comfort. If you have any more questions about implant dentures, call Dental Implant and Laser Surgical Specialists' Orange, CA, office at (714) 730-3746.

One of the best and most successful tooth replacement choices available is the dental implant. No other restorative method is as similar in both form and function to a real tooth as an implant; and with a success rate of 95-plus percent after ten years, it’s one of the most durable.

But there can be extenuating circumstances that make obtaining an implant difficult or sometimes impossible. One possible problematic situation is the systemic disease diabetes.

Diabetes is a hormonal condition in which the body is unable to sufficiently regulate the amount of glucose (a basic sugar that provides energy to the body’s cells) within the blood stream. Normally, the pancreas produces the hormone insulin to reduce excess glucose. But diabetes interferes with this insulin production: if you have Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas has stopped producing insulin altogether; if you have the more common Type 2, the body doesn’t produce adequate insulin or it doesn’t respond sufficiently to the insulin produced.

Over time diabetes can affect other areas of health, especially wound healing. Because the condition gradually causes blood vessels to narrow and stiffen, the normal inflammatory response to disease or trauma can become prolonged. This in turn slows the rate of wound healing.

Slow wound healing can have a bearing on the recovery period just after implant surgery, especially the necessary integration process that takes place between the bone and the titanium metal implant that provides its signature strength. If that process is impeded by slow wound healing caused by diabetes, the risk increases dramatically for implant failure.

That’s the worst case scenario if you have diabetes, but only if your condition is out of control. If, however, you have your blood sugar levels well regulated through medication, diet and exercise, then your chances for implant success could easily be on par with someone without diabetes.

So if you’re diabetic and are considering dental implants for missing teeth, it’s important to discuss the possibility of obtaining them with both your dentist and the physician caring for your diabetes. With your overall healthcare team working together, there’s no reason why diabetes should stop you from enjoying this premiere restoration for missing teeth.